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Minor Transactions: 2/18/25

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The transaction wire is active again today, with many teams hosting their first practices in over a week. The regular season schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off resumes this weekend, so the players who teams reassigned to the minors over the break to continue playing will be added back to rosters today and tomorrow to make them eligible to practice with their NHL teammates. Here are all of today’s moves that largely constituted reversals of pre-break demotions.

  • The Hurricanes announced they’ve promoted defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. While he’d been off the roster for a few days already prior to the break, he’s been a frequent traveler between Carolina and Chicago this season. He was last rostered for a game on Jan. 28 against the Rangers – his season debut, in which he recorded a fight and a shot on goal in 7:40 of ice time. A routine healthy scratch/extra defenseman, Stillman is close to requiring waivers again to head to the minors after clearing them in November. The 26-year-old has 2-3–5 with 41 PIMs and a minus-three rating in 20 AHL contests this year.
  • The Stars announced they’ve recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel from AHL Texas. He was quietly shuttled down on Feb. 8 after making eight straight appearances for Dallas leading into the break. The 2022 first-rounder has 2-3–5 and a plus-six rating through his first 16 career NHL games, all coming this season, and will continue in a regular role for the time being with Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the shelf.
  • The Canucks announced they’ve promoted all of center Nils Åman, forward Arshdeep Bains, and defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. They also added goalie Arturs Silovs from the Baby Canucks on an emergency loan and will have Nikita Tolopilo around as a practice goaltender until Kevin Lankinen is ready to return from representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although the latter won’t take up a roster spot. Åman and Pettersson were sent to Abbotsford on Feb. 8, but this is Bains’ first recall since late November. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and a minus-four rating in 11 games earlier this season but has remained a near point-per-game threat in the minors, posting 7-20–27 in 32 AHL games. He’ll now get another crack at NHL minutes in the final season of his entry-level contract. Silovs, who’s struggled to the tune of a 1-4-1 record and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season, will come up to serve as Lankinen’s No. 2 with Thatcher Demko still dealing with the undisclosed injury that caused him to leave Vancouver’s last pre-break game against the Maple Leafs. Tolopilo’s stay will be brief, and the 24-year-old will return to Abbotsford as soon as Lankinen is available.
  • The Penguins called up winger Emil Bemström and goalie Joel Blomqvist from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and returned netminder Tristan Jarry to the minors in a corresponding transaction, the team announced. It’s a pure reversal of the moves Pittsburgh made after their last game on Feb. 8. Bemström has no points and two shots in two games since being recalled for the first time this season on Feb. 7, while Blomqvist has a 3-8-0 record with a .896 SV% and 3.54 GAA in 11 appearances on the year. The 23-year-old has struggled since taking over for Jarry on the roster, posting a .868 SV% in three starts since the veteran was waived in mid-January. The 29-year-old Jarry will continue to bide his time in the minors as he awaits another NHL chance, knocking on the door with a .924 SV% and 2.11 GAA in nine games.
  • The Rangers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old comes up to serve as Jonathan Quick’s backup with Igor Shesterkin not ready to return from the upper-body injury that kept him out of New York’s final game before the break. He’s sporting a .914 SV%, 2.73 GAA, three shutouts, and a 13-7-5 record in 25 showings with Hartford this year.
  • The Blackhawks summoned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, a team announcement states. Chicago sent the 22-year-old down at the beginning of the break for additional playing time in the minors, where he posted three shots and a plus-one rating in four games over the past couple of weeks. He has one assist in six NHL games since first being called up in late January and will continue competing for bottom-pairing minutes while Louis Crevier is on injured reserve with a concussion.
  • The Bruins recalled defenseman Michael Callahan, center Matthew Poitras, and left-winger Riley Tufte from AHL Providence – the latter coming up under emergency conditions, per the team. Goaltender Michael DiPietro will also practice with the team while Jeremy Swayman remains with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off but won’t count against the active roster. Callahan’s and Poitras’ recalls are reversals of pre-break assignments, with the former’s recall serving as confirmation that Hampus Lindholm won’t be ready to come off LTIR before Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Tufte’s recall is his first since November, and his inclusion is a solid indication that Charlie McAvoy will be IR-bound after sustaining an upper-body injury and subsequent infection at the 4 Nations.
  • The Jets announced they’ve recalled Kaapo Kähkönen from AHL Manitoba to serve as a practice player with Connor Hellebuyck slated to start for the Americans in Thursday’s 4 Nations championship. He’s played one NHL game since signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg last offseason – although it was for the Avalanche, who claimed him off waivers in October but lost him back to the Jets on the wire the following month. The 28-year-old has taken a tumble in Manitoba with a .885 SV% in 20 games – a worse save percentage than he posted on last year’s league-worst Sharks.
  • The Sharks announced they’ve recalled forward Collin Graf and defenseman Jack Thompson from AHL San Jose. They were both assigned to the minors after their final pre-break game, although notably, veteran Andrew Poturalski remains in the minors after being demoted along with Graf and Thompson. The rookies are both likely to play next Sunday against the Flames.
  • Utah announced they’d recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson after the previously reported summons of goaltender Jaxson Stauber. His reinstatement to the roster suggests Logan Cooley won’t be quite ready to return from his lower-body injury this weekend against the Kings, but general manager Bill Armstrong said yesterday he’s not expected out for much longer. Doan has 4-5–9 in 25 NHL games and 11-15–26 in 28 AHL games this year.
  • The Blues will have goaltender Will Cranley join them for practice while Jordan Binnington remains with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the club announced. Cranley, 22, was a sixth-round pick of 2020 and is in his second season of pro hockey. He’s spent almost all of his time in the ECHL, where he has a .911 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 appearances with the Florida Everblades this year.
  • The Predators recalled goalie Matt Murray to join them as a practice player while Juuse Saros returns from repping the Fins at the 4 Nations, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. Murray has yet to appear in a game for Nashville after spending the past few years in the Stars organization but has been recalled a few times as injury insurance this season. The 27-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA, two shutouts, and a 17-7-6 record for Milwaukee.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forwards Gage Goncalves and Gabriel Fortier to join as practice players. Goncalves has served as Tampa Bay’s extra forward for much of the year. His NHL career is still young, and his one goal and seven points in 33 games with the Lightning marks the first scoring of his career. Goncalves has also scored 18 points in 14 AHL games this year. Fortier has spent his whole season in the minors and scored 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games. He ranks third on the Syracuse Crunch in goals and seventh in points.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Bruins Receiving Interest In Brandon Carlo, Morgan Geekie

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The Bruins are receiving inquiries about the availability of defenseman Brandon Carlo and pending restricted free agent forward Morgan Geekie, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan said last weekend (via Scott McLaughlin of WEEI). Kaplan also relayed they continue to field calls on pending UFA Trent Frederic, who’s been garnering interest throughout much of the season. It’s far less likely that Boston will part ways with captain Brad Marchand even if they haven’t worked out an extension by the March 7 trade deadline, Kaplan added.

There’s little surprise that Boston is seeking to part ways with some of their middle-of-the-lineup players amid what’s likely to be a retooling effort over the next few seasons. They just locked in starter Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66MM deal at the beginning of the season and still have six years remaining on superstar David Pastrňák’s contract, as well as five years remaining on top defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s deal. The team’s books aren’t conducive to a complete rebuild despite them tracking to miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

After losing Jake DeBrusk in free agency last summer and signing Elias Lindholm to a max-term deal to augment their center depth, things haven’t gone to plan for the Bruins offensively. They’re clicking at 2.75 goals per game, 25th in the league and their worst since their 2.55 mark in the 2014-15 season. Marchand and Pastrňák have continued to produce at elite levels, but the latter is still only on pace for 40 goals after notching 61 and 47 in the prior two years. Lindholm has flamed out, limited to 10-19–29 through 57 games – unjustifiable production for his $7.75MM cap hit, no matter how well he grades out defensively (where he’s had average possession impacts this season).

Including Lindholm, five Bruins forwards have produced in the 15-30 point range at this point in the season. Among the pack are Frederic and Geekie, both in their primes and don’t have bonafide top-six ceilings on a championship-contending team. It makes sense they’d at least be talked about by Bruins management as they begin the shift to prioritizing younger, higher-upside pieces in their lineup.

However, Carlo’s name is more surprising to see on the list of potentially available players. In past years, his $4.1MM cap hit would have been considered below market value, especially as he’s locked in through the 2026-27 campaign. A tough year from the 28-year-old likely diminishes his trade value slightly, but with a lengthy track record of being a stalwart top-four defender, it’s likely teams will see a down season as a blip, not a trend, from a right-shot defender below 30 years old.

He will immediately rank among the top righties available on deadline day if Boston shifts from just taking calls to shopping him. That said, his all-around numbers this season aren’t inspiring. His 18:40 ATOI is his lowest since arriving in Boston nine years ago, and while he’s not relied upon for offense, his nine points in 56 games is the lowest pace we’ve seen from him in four years. Defensive metrics don’t paint a rosy picture, either. Carlo’s penalty kill time has been eaten into by Nikita Zadorov, and at even strength, his 45.6 CF% and -9.0 expected rating rank worst among the team’s full-time blue-liners. Extremely difficult defensive minutes don’t do him any good there, but with the latter number tracking as a career-worst, it’s a cause for concern.

Brad Marchand Wants To Remain With The Boston Bruins

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Depending on their performance before the March 7th trade deadline, the Boston Bruins could be sellers for the first time in a decade. Although they are only one point behind the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, MoneyPuck gives them a 14.9% chance of reaching the postseason, the sixth lowest in the East.

There is speculation that the Bruins may consider trading their captain, Brad Marchand, in the final year of an eight-year, $49 million contract extension signed in 2016. If Boston decides to entertain trade offers for him, Marchand would be one of the top players available on the rental market. Although his offensive production has slightly declined this season, with his average points per 82 games dropping from 67 to 63 compared to last year, he still ranks second on the team in scoring, with 20 goals and 44 points in 57 games. 

On the podcast ’What Chaos!’, hosts D.J. Bean and Pete Blackburn felt that the trade speculation warranted asking Marchand for his perspective. The hosts specifically asked the Bruins captain how he would feel if he were to be traded to which Marchand replied, “Obviously, it would be very weird. I think I would feel very weird, probably a little lost. But I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it before. And I don’t really think about it, because it’s not something that I really see happening.”

The franchise’s active longest-tenured player would prefer to stay saying, “My goal is to play here forever. I love it here, and my family obviously loves it here. It’s all I know, and what I love most about it is that the expectations that are put on the group by — internally, just from management, ownership, from the team within — like the expectation to be good every year is what you want to be part of.”

Still, the Bruins front office hasn’t been shy to move on from long-term players in the past if the right deal is presented. Boston infamously traded away Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton at the 2015 NHL Draft, let long-time captain Zdeno Chara leave as an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season, and moved goaltender Linus Ullmark to a division rival this past summer. As much as Marchand would like to stay a Bruin, the team may have other ideas about his future with the club.

Bruins Assign Matt Poitras And Michael Callahan To AHL

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The Boston Bruins announced that they’ve assigned forward Matt Poitras and defenseman Michael Callahan to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. The moves mirror what many other NHL teams have done leading into the 4 Nations Face-Off by assigning younger players to the AHL to give them an opportunity for more playing time. There is a possibility the moves could be paper transactions as well, but the next two weeks will flush that out.

Poitras has dressed in 26 games this season with the Bruins, posting a single goal and 10 assists with a -3 plus/minus rating. In the AHL, the 20-year-old has been nearly a point-per-game scorer, tallying eight goals and 12 assists in 23 games. The Ajax, Ontario native spent last season in Boston as well, suiting up in 33 games and registering five goals and 10 assists.

The 25-year-old Callahan saw the first NHL action of his career earlier in the season, dressing in eight games, while going scoreless with nine blocked shots, four hits and a -2 plus/minus rating. In the AHL, Callahan is having an All-Star campaign in his third season with Providence, posting a goal and five assists in 35 games. The Franklin, Massachusetts native has never posted much in the way of offense throughout his professional career but has provided elite defensive work for Providence this season, as evidenced by his All-Star nomination.

Boston returns to NHL action on February 22nd against Anaheim and is likely to make roster moves before their return from the break.

Boston Bruins To Activate Mark Kastelic, Reassign Vinni Lettieri

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The Boston Bruins’ remaining injured forward will return tonight. Joe Haggerty of the Boston Sports Journal reported that forward Mark Kastelic will be activated ahead of tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. According to Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, the Bruins have reassigned Vinni Lettieri to make room on their active roster.

Injuries have again prohibited Kastelic from a complete season in the NHL. The career bottom-six talent has only amassed a career-high of 65 games in the regular season although he could finish with slightly higher than that this year if he remains healthy.

Due to a lower-body injury toward the beginning of the season, an upper-body injury that lost him two weeks in early January, and his recent undisclosed injury, Kastelic has already lost nine games this year due to various ailments. He has achieved a career-high in points during his first year with the Bruins, scoring four goals and totaling 13 points in 45 games.

The only other additional improvement in his game has been his physicality. Kastelic was already a physical forward, throwing 280 body checks throughout his last two years as an Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, in Boston, he’s already thrown 175 hits on the year, well above his 2.2 hits-per-game average with the Senators.

On the other side of the transaction, Lettieri heads back to join the AHL’s Providence Bruins after an eight-game stretch in the NHL. Over the past two years, he received more ice time than usual in the game’s top league, scoring two goals and averaging 12:05 per game.

He’ll continue with his fruitful season in the AHL for now. Lettieri has historically been a major offensive threat in the AHL when healthy and has shown that again this year, scoring 14 goals and 35 points in 35 games.

Trade Deadline Primer: Boston Bruins

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Boston Bruins.

With tight playoff races in both conferences, there are many teams without a clear agenda heading into deadline day. The Bruins are one of those teams. An early-season coaching change hasn’t done much to jumpstart general manager Don Sweeney’s club, as an 18-13-3 record under interim head coach Joe Sacco still has them one point out of a playoff spot with negative games in hand. With a subpar possession game, unusually below-average goaltending, and a captain on an expiring contract, Boston isn’t in a good position to be the aggressive buyers they’ve routinely been at recent deadlines.

Record

26-22-6, 5th in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Conservative Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$1.87MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: BOS 1st, BOS 3rd, BOS 5th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th
2026: BOS 1st, BOS 2nd, BOS 3rd, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 7th

Trade Chips

If any Bruins roster players move – which isn’t a given – pending UFA forward Trent Frederic is the likeliest candidate. Whether he’s shipped out as part of a true selling move or a retooling swap remains to be seen, but in any event, the 26-year-old is likely more valuable to Boston as a trade chip than as an extension candidate through what looks to be a few questionable seasons. The versatile middle-six grinder has been drawing interest for weeks now, which should only be growing as Mikael Granlund has already come off a thin list of rental forwards with usability at center.

However, Frederic is amid a major offensive regression, posting seven goals and seven assists in 52 games after a career-best 18-goal, 40-point showing last year. That comes despite Frederic averaging a career-high 14:05 per game, most of which has come at even strength. He’s been deployed on the second power-play unit with quarterback Hampus Lindholm missing extended time but hasn’t seen much use shorthanded despite what his reputation as a checking piece may indicate. Frederic does rank second on the team with 142 hits, though, and his $2.3MM cap hit won’t likely require retention for most interested parties. That, plus his effectiveness as a strong secondary scoring piece in the prior couple of seasons, should net Sweeney a solid return as he looks to restock his draft and prospect cupboard and rework his roster.

Big-bodied wingers Justin Brazeau and Cole Koepke are also pending UFAs and have provided far more value to the Bruins this season than their league-minimum two-way deals would predicate. Brazeau, in particular, has found a niche, checking in as one of the team’s six double-digit goal scorers with 10 and 20 points through 51 games. He’s seen usage higher in the lineup, particularly with Elias Lindholm and Brad Marchand, and has a 6’5″, 220-lb frame while carrying above-average possession impacts. If his play holds, he’d be an upgrade on nearly every contender’s fourth line and could even check in as a top-nine piece on a few. Koepke has cooled off after a hot start to the year but has still been part of one of the league’s best shutdown lines this year with John Beecher and Mark Kastelic. The 26-year-old has 12 points in a career-high 47 games, and the trio’s 1.28 xGA/60 ranks second in the league among qualified trios, per MoneyPuck.

On the back end, left-shot Parker Wotherspoon is likely to draw interest from teams looking to add some injury insurance ahead of the postseason. A pending UFA with an $800K cap hit, he has a goal and an assist in 30 appearances for the Bruins this year while logging fringe shorthanded usage. He plays a low-event game, carrying the worst offensive impacts of any full-time Bruins skater at even strength this season, but his 1.8 GA/60 ranks among the team’s best.

Then there’s Marchand, who enters deadline season without an extension after he denied a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet in October that a three-year deal was imminent. The 36-year-old still ranks second on the team in scoring with 42 points in 54 games and would net at least a first-round pick as part of a bigger return package. Trading him would signal a more aggressive sell-off than the Bruins have undertaken in decades, though, and remains an outside possibility at best despite his pending free agency.

Team Needs

1) Defense Prospects: While the Bruins’ pool is lacking in talent overall, they still have a pair of promising U-23 forwards in Fabian Lysell and Matthew Poitras. The same can’t be said for their future on defense, which lacks players with surefire NHL upside behind 24-year-old Mason Lohrei, who’s already established himself as a regular. The few first-round picks the Bruins have kept in recent years have all gone to forwards – understandable, given their increasing lack of secondary scoring – leaving the blue line unattended. More cost-effective youth to phase out overpaid depth like Andrew Peeke works to their present and future advantage.

2) Top-Six Forward: If it’s a retooling approach instead of a sellers’ one that Sweeney takes to the deadline, acquiring a top-six forward – whether a polished one or one with relatively certain upside – is a must. Morgan Geekie has been serviceable but overtaxed in a top-line role with David Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha, and Lindholm’s lack of goal-scoring (nine goals in 54 GP) has put more pressure on their wingers to be productive.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Poitras And Lettieri Sent To AHL

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  • The Bruins have assigned center Matthew Poitras and winger Vinni Lettieri to AHL Providence, per the AHL’s transactions log. This move is likely just a paper one to bank a bit of cap space with the two likely to be recalled for Tuesday’s game against Minnesota.  Poitras has a goal and eight assists in 23 games with Boston this season while Lettieri has two goals in eight outings at the NHL level.

Bruins Activate Charlie McAvoy, Reassign Max Jones

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The Bruins activated top defenseman Charlie McAvoy from injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. The club reassigned winger Max Jones to AHL Providence to open up a roster spot.

McAvoy has missed Boston’s last seven games with an upper-body injury. He landed on IR following a Jan. 11 game against the Panthers, during which head coach Joe Sacco said he aggravated a “nagging ailment” and would be shut down for at least a week to see how it responds. His absence lasted closer to three weeks, but he’ll return to the lineup tonight against the Jets in a top-pairing role flanked by sophomore lefty Mason Lohrei.

The lingering injury explains what’s been a down season for McAvoy. The 27-year-old has 20 points through 45 games, the lowest point-per-game pace of his eight-year NHL career. His possession metrics were dipping, too, with his +2.2 expected rating at even strength also tracking to be the worst of his career.

The 2016 first-rounder returns as Boston hangs on for dear life in a tight Eastern Conference wild-card race. Their 5-4-1 record in their last 10 has been enough to keep pace, but they’ll fall out of the picture with a loss tonight against Winnipeg and if the Lightning and Blue Jackets manage to get at least one point out of their games.

Boston went 4-2-1 in their last seven without McAvoy with a plus-one goal differential. They were outshot 241-176 during that span, however, and only controlled 45.5% of shot attempts at even strength.

Jones, 26, heads down after playing three out of four games since his Jan. 21 recall. The big-bodied winger has yet to record a point in seven games with the Bruins this season after signing a two-year, $2MM deal over the summer and passed through waivers unclaimed in early November. Selected a few spots after McAvoy by the Ducks in the 2016 draft, he has eight goals and 11 points with a plus-four rating in 26 games while on assignment to Providence this year.

Bruins In Discussions With Chara To Hire Him In Advisory Role

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  • Bruins GM Don Sweeney confirmed to Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe that they are in discussions about bringing back long-time blueliner Zdeno Chara in an advisory role. Chara spent 14 years with Boston, playing over 1,000 games with the franchise while winning the Norris Trophy back in 2009.  Sweeney added that the role, the specifics of which are still being discussed, would likely have him working with both the players and the coaching staff.

Brown, DiPietro Assigned To Providence

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  • The Bruins announced that forward Patrick Brown and goaltender Michael DiPietro were assigned to AHL Providence. Both players were brought up earlier this week to cover injuries.  Brown has done well in the minors with 25 points in 37 games but has made just two appearances with Boston so far.  As for DiPietro, he has a stellar 1.95 GAA and a .930 SV% in 22 AHL outings but with Jeremy Swayman expected to return Saturday, his stint with the big club was short-lived.

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